Sitar Stories
Washington Performing Arts
Bringing Arts Education Year-Round to Sitar
Washington Performing Arts is one of the leading performing arts presenters in the country and part of its mission is to “provide lifelong learning opportunities through arts education, youth involvement, and community partnerships.”
For fifteen years, Washington Performing Arts has been an important Sitar Arts Center partner in bringing top instrumentalists, vocalists, and dancers to perform for Sitar students. These free performances throughout the year engage students as they are exposed to different art forms and genres, and inspire them while watching top-notch professional artists.
For a third year in a row, Washington Performing Arts provided its Playful Rhythms program to Camp Sitar students. For two weeks in June, Washington Performing Arts Teaching Artists taught music, dance, and visual arts to children ages 4 to 8. The Teaching Artists incorporated the theme of jazz in all the classes using the book This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt. Every day Visiting Artists provided interactive performances like dance by Glade Dance Collective and music by the vocalist and guitarist duo Cantare who took the students on a musical tour of Latin America. The Playful Rhythms program culminated with student performances on the last day of Camp Sitar’s Session One.
“Sitar’s partnership with Washington Performing Arts is very special not only because they present top-notch artists to perform and interact with our students, but also because of their deepened involvement bringing their amazing Playful Rhythms program to Camp Sitar during the summer. The students always look forward to the performances and thoroughly enjoy Playful Rhythms.”
~ A. Lorraine Robinson
Sitar Arts Center Senior Director of Programs
We are very grateful for the partnership and look forward to more Washington Performing Arts guest artists to perform at Sitar in the fall and for Playful Rhythms to continue next summer!